Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her Indian counterpart on the Indian Government's decision to refuse the renewal of Oxfam India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act license.

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) license was most recently raised on 10 February 2022, during the annual UK-India Home Affairs Dialogue, co-chaired by Home Office Permanent Secretary, Sir Matthew Rycroft, and Indian Home Secretary Bhalla. The Permanent Secretary addressed the difficulties that some NGOs in India have faced due to the enforcement of the FCRA, which is impacting both on the work we are funding and the work of UK-headquartered global NGOs in India.

The British High Commissioner to India also met with the CEO of Oxfam India on 14 January to understand their concerns and offer support. We continue to monitor developments related to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, especially impacts on UK Government-funded programmes in India, and the work of British NGOs in India.